Northern Ireland Prison Service Corporate and Business Plan 2005–08

Baroness Amos: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I have placed copies of the Northern Ireland Prison Service's corporate and business plan for 2005–08 in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The corporate and business plan contains the key performance targets I have set for the service for 2005–06. These are:
	1. No escape for top and high-risk prisoners.
	2. No more than three escapes per 1,000 medium and low risk prisoners.
	3. The number of staff assaulted by prisoners is less than a ratio of three per 100 prisoners.
	4. The number of prisoners assaulted by prisoners is less than a ratio of four per 100 prisoners.
	5. An average of at least 20 hours constructive activity per week for each sentenced prisoner.
	6. An average of at least 10 hours constructive activity per week for each remand prisoner.
	7. To ensure 87 per cent of prisoners serving six months or more are working to a resettlement plan and that 97 per cent of lifers work to a resettlement plan, including preparation of the plan, in the first six months from sentence.
	8. Each member of staff should receive an average of five training days.
	9. Reduce the rate of absenteeism across the service by 10 per cent.
	10. Lay the annual report and audited accounts before Parliament prior to the summer recess.
	11. Ensure the average cost per prisoner place does not exceed £86,290.

Iraq: Prosecution of Trooper Williams

Lord Goldsmith: I refer to my Written Statement of 7 September 2004 (Official Report, col. WS 70) in which I confirmed that the Metropolitan Police had, on the advice of the CPS charged Trooper Williams with the murder of Hassan Said on 3 August 2003 in Ad Dayr in Iraq. Trooper Williams is a member of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
	This matter was referred to me by the Director Army Legal Services on behalf of the Adjutant General, following discussions with the Chief of General Staff and the Commander in Chief (land) in March 2004 after the commanding officer had "dismissed" the charges against Trooper Williams. The matter could not, because of the action of the commanding officer, be dealt with by way of court martial. It was referred to me to consider further action.
	On 6 May 2004 I referred this matter to the CPS for it to consider whether a prosecution should be instituted against Trooper Williams. The CPS asked the Metropolitan Police for assistance in collecting further evidence.
	The CPS, reviewing the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, advised the police to charge Trooper Williams with an offence of murder.
	The CPS has a continuous duty of review in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. It has now decided that there is no longer sufficient evidence to found a realistic prospect of conviction. The CPS has today offered no evidence against Trooper Williams.

Trade Unions

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Gerry Sutcliffe) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The certification officer maintains a list of trade unions. I am placing in the Libraries of both Houses a copy of the list of trade unions as at 31 March 2004, which was presented in the latest annual report of the certification officer.

Queen Victoria School

Lord Bach: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Honourable Members will wish to be aware that with effect from 1 April 2005, the Queen Victoria School (QVS), Dunblane, Perthshire, will cease to hold agency status.
	QVS is presently the smallest of the Ministry of Defence agencies with a budget of less than £5 million per annum, compared to an average of £473 million. Following a recent review it has been decided that the additional overheads relating to agency status are no longer proportionate to the size of the school.
	The removal of agency status will not affect the role or outputs of the school and the headmaster will remain fully accountable for the school's performance. In terms of governance the school will have an improved reporting regime within the Adjutant General Command, while maintaining a link with the Directorate of Educational and Training Services (Army) who has an interest in wider educational matters and in promoting the benefits of the QVS to service families. The school will continue to publish an annual report and, as now, academic results will be published in the Scottish league tables.

Disposal Services Agency: Key Performance Targets 2005–06

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Key targets have been set for the Chief Executive of the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) for financial year 2005-06. The targets are as follows:
	Key Target 1
	To achieve a disposal sales income of £50 million from sales of surplus government-owned equipment and repayment business within an agency net operating cost of £7.5 million.
	Key Target 2
	To meet the key performance standards required under the internal business agreements (IBA) with MoD customers including the customer supplier agreement (CSA) with the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO).
	Key Target 3
	To ensure that the agency is at the standard or above the public sector benchmarking report for overall customer satisfaction. The agency should maintain the level of current customer satisfaction (89 per cent) and improve to 19 per cent the number of very satisfied customers.
	Key Target 4 
	To develop a benchmark to enable the agency to both measure and exceed HMG's target (currently 25 per cent by volume) for environmental reuse and recovery for all MoD material through the DSA.
	Key Target 5
	To secure £370,000 sales per person employed for commercial sales activities.

Oman: Ammunition

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Royal Army of Oman (RAO) purchased Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks (MBT) from the UK and is the only operator of this tank other than the UK. It currently uses Discarding Sabot/Training (DS/T) ammunition as its training round but production of the DS/T round (L20 shot and L5 charge) has now ceased. RAO has purchased a new training round (CHARM 3 Training Round (C3TR)) but its tanks require an upgrade to allow these new rounds to be fired. This will take a minimum of 12 months from contract signature. During this period, its current stocks of the DS/T round will be exhausted and unless additional DS/T rounds are made available its tank crews will be unable to train. This will adversely affect the proficiency of the crews and the operational readiness of the Royal Army of Oman.
	DS/T ammunition is no longer produced and is no longer used by the British Army. All remaining stocks were gifted to Jordan under the Al Hussein arrangement under the auspices of a departmental minute laid before the House of Commons in July 2004. It is proposed to divert 3,000 rounds of DS/T ammunition from this Jordanian consignment (22,874 L5 charges and 26,044 L20 shot), due to be shipped in May 2005, and gift them to Oman in order to alleviate the training shortfall. This will have negligible effect on Jordan.
	This proposal will have no cost for the UK. Oman will meet all transport and handling costs.

Army Training Ground, Otterburn

Lord Bach: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 25 January 2005 (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 241W) in response to the Question raised by the honourable Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) about accidents at the Army training ground at Otterburn, I stated that six people had been injured as a result of accidents at the Otterburn military training area. It has since come to light that this figure was incorrect. This was brought to my attention when a branch of the department not previously known to hold information relating to this matter came forward.
	The Answer should have stated that 35 people have been injured as a result of accidents during exercises at Otterburn since 1 January 2000.
	I apologise to the House for this error.

Football Betting

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government are aware of the recent European Court of Justice rulings concerning sport and the use of database rights. I have recently met with representatives of the football sector, who have concerns about how these rulings affect them.
	In light of the ongoing domestic court case, currently before the Court of Appeal, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the details of any case.
	This Government take the integrity of sport very seriously. I am aware that in their present data licensing arrangements with betting operators, the football authorities include a code of practice covering integrity issues. I am also aware that in some cases these licensing arrangements have now come to an end and have not been renewed. The vast majority of betting on sport in this country is conducted lawfully. Betting operators, sporting organisations and the Government have worked together in the past to safeguard the integrity of British sport. I expect all parties to continue to do so in the future.
	The Gambling Bill will provide substantial new powers and protections to help achieve this. Indeed, one of the Gambling Commission's licensing objectives is to ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way. The commission will have powers to issue codes of practice to betting operators. The Bill also makes it an express condition of all operating licences that operators comply with any codes concerning social responsibility. This is in addition to the commission's powers to investigate suspicious betting patterns, and void unfair bets or bring about prosecutions.
	We will monitor the situation carefully, and officials in my department will continue to discuss this issue with football and betting operators. We will also continue to explore the wider impact on sport of the EC Database Directive with Patent Office colleagues.

NHS and Department of Health: Recognised Trade Unions

Lord Warner: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Community (Dr Ladyman) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The following organisations are recognised for collective bargaining purposes by the Department of Health and the NHS.
	British Medical Association (BMA)
	British Dental Association (BDA)
	UNISON
	The Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
	The Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
	Amicus including MSF, AEEU and EESA
	GMB
	The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU)
	The Union of Shop, Allied and Distributive Workers (USDAW)
	The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)
	The Community and District Nursing Association (CDNA)
	The Society of Radiographers (SoR)
	The Federation of Clinical Scientists (FCS)
	The British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT)
	The Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT)
	The British Orthoptic Society (BOS)
	The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SoCP)
	The British Dietetic Association (BDA)
	The following organisations are recognised for collective bargaining purposes with its own staff by the Department of Health.
	Public and Commercial Services Union
	Prospect
	First Division Association

NHS: Paybill Costs

Lord Warner: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Community (Dr Ladyman) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Total expenditure on pay bill costs, whole time equivalent staff numbers and average pay bill costs for hospital doctors, general practitioners, all doctors and qualified nurses for 2003–04 are given in the table.
	
		
			  Total pay bill expenditure 2003-04£ million Staff numbers whole time equivalents Averagepay bill costs £000s 
			 Hospital doctors 6,142 72,260 85 
			 General Practitioners 2,200 29,777 74 
			 All doctors 8,342 102,037 82 
			 Qualified Nurses 8,677 291,925 30